A New York Review Books Original
Deception—the lies we tell ourselves and the lies we tell others—is the subject of this, Tove Jansson’s most unnerving and unpredictable novel. Here Jansson takes a darker look at the subjects that animate the best of her work, from her sensitive tale of island life, The Summer Book, to her famous Moomin stories: solitude and community, art and life, love and hate.
Snow has been falling on the village all winter long. It covers windows and piles up in front of doors. The sun rises late and sets early, and even during the day there is little to do but trade tales. This year everybody’s talking about Katri Kling and Anna Aemelin. Katri is a yellow-eyed outcast who lives with her simpleminded brother and a dog she refuses to name. She has no use for the white lies that smooth social intercourse, and she can see straight to the core of any problem. Anna, an elderly children’s book illustrator, appears to be Katri’s opposite: a respected member of the village, if an aloof one. Anna lives in a large empty house, venturing out in the spring to paint exquisitely detailed forest scenes. But Anna has something Katri wants, and to get it Katri will take control of Anna’s life and livelihood. By the time spring arrives, the two women are caught in a conflict of ideals that threatens to strip them of their most cherished illusions.
A New York Review Books Original
Deception—the lies we tell ourselves and the lies we tell others—is the subject of this, Tove Jansson’s most unnerving and unpredictable novel. Here Jansson takes a darker look at the subjects that animate the best of her work, from her sensitive tale of island life, The Summer Book, to her famous Moomin stories: solitude and community, art and life, love and hate.
Snow has been falling on the village all winter long. It covers windows and piles up in front of doors. The sun rises late and sets early, and even during the day there is little to do but trade tales. This year everybody’s talking about Katri Kling and Anna Aemelin. Katri is a yellow-eyed outcast who lives with her simpleminded brother and a dog she refuses to name. She has no use for the white lies that smooth social intercourse, and she can see straight to the core of any problem. Anna, an elderly children’s book illustrator, appears to be Katri’s opposite: a respected member of the village, if an aloof one. Anna lives in a large empty house, venturing out in the spring to paint exquisitely detailed forest scenes. But Anna has something Katri wants, and to get it Katri will take control of Anna’s life and livelihood. By the time spring arrives, the two women are caught in a conflict of ideals that threatens to strip them of their most cherished illusions.
The True Deceiver
208The True Deceiver
208Related collections and offers
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9781590173299 |
---|---|
Publisher: | New York Review Books |
Publication date: | 12/08/2009 |
Series: | NYRB Classics Series |
Pages: | 208 |
Sales rank: | 212,973 |
Product dimensions: | 5.00(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.50(d) |
About the Author
Customer Reviews
Explore More Items
At first glance, Three Lives seems to be three straightforward portraits of women living in the early twentieth century. “The Good Anna” describes an exacting German house servant;
How will the beloved residents of Moominvalley survive a comet?
Another classic Moomin story reworked in full color, with a kid-proof but kid-friendly size, price, and format.
It's getting hotter and
A flying saucer crash-lands in Moominvalley and high jinks ensue
Another classic Moomin story reworked in full color, with a kid-proof but kid-friendly size, price, and format.
Moominmamma wakes up
It is spring in the valley and the Moomins are ready for adventure! Moomintroll and his friends Snufkin and Sniff find the Hobgoblin's top hat, all shiny and new and just waiting to be taken home.
La patro de Mumintrolo verkis siajn memoraĵojn. Jen la libro pri lia ŝtorma junaĝo, kiam la didoj estis ege pli grandaj, la ŝtormoj pli danĝeraj kaj la sunbrilo pli varma ol
Unu tagon en januaro Mumintrolo vekiĝas el sia vintrodormo kaj ne povas reendormiĝi. Unuafoje li spertas la vintron kun neĝo kaj malvarmo. Li estas tre soleca, ĉar ĉiuj
In works like The Summer Book and The True Deceiver, as well as in her
The iconic first Moomin comic strip by Tove Jansson, full of adventure, schemes, and romance
Moomin’s pushy relations have come to stay, and in the process of getting them out, he unwittingly
A New York Review Books Original
Winner of the 2009 Bernard Shaw Prize for Translation
Fair Play is the type of love story that is rarely told, a revelatory depiction of contentment,
An NYRB Classics Original
Tove Jansson was a master of brevity, unfolding worlds at a touch. Her art flourished in small settings, as can be seen in her bestselling novel The Summer Book and
The heartwarming tale of Moomin's reunion with his parents
After losing both his fortune and his girlfriend, Moomin has hit rock bottom. Luckily, in his darkest moment, he stumbles across the beloved
Everyone knows the Moomins sleep through the winter. But this year, Moomintroll has woken up early. So while the rest of the family slumber, he decides to visit his favorite summer haunts. But all he